Food container



3 Sheets-Sheet 1 FOOD CONTAINER F. F. PFEFFERKORN March 27, 1951 Filed June 4, 1945 N v? Q 7/ al IN VE?! 0R.

/fe eno e er omg 8 ff/ lrzvfrwfy March 27, 1951 F. F. PFEFFERKORN FOOD CONTAINER 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 4, 1945 IIIIIIIIIII!! f o? INAVENTOR. fe en BY Ory ATTORNEY March 27, 1951 F. F. PFEFFERKORN FOOD CONTAINER 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 4, 1945 Patented Mar. ZZ, 1951 1(1Granted1-underfthe act of v:March 13, 1883, yas tamen'tle'd .-fApril 130, ,192;8; F370 50. 5G. *2757) rFurther objects, advantages :and vfeatnres ,will ,be z apparentgfrom :the ffollowing. description, read 1in-conjunction zwith Athe accompanying. drawings iin awhch:

Rig. iris ,asideelevation offthe fooLd container `of my yinventif)n, parts being :broken :away :and

Apartsloeing4 shown 1 in section.

:,Llfligsz is a v,top.viewrof :the-food container vwith 'thegcover-- removed ffromaportion thereof, show- :ingipartsiinsectionfandrsparts brokentawav FignB,isatdetailedgsection of `one ofithe corners .0f fthe,containerishowing@certain structuralffeatitres- Fia 4 vis aan and viewfnf fit-he foontainer, fa mart 2'beirieabrokenfaway.

,Considera-ble .dicultv has been experienced 4in it-ryng to adapt insulated #food containers of the conventional, commercial :types ifor r`use 'by i'members :of #the farmed `fi'orces in saotive theaters of operations. haszbeeniifound that-containers of .the conventional, commercial types are :usually toosrnall, stoofeumbersome'n due t0 Ltheir contour and not of sufficiently -rug ged construction :to withstand .trough Iusage. YGenera ily speaking, :'athey are usually zround in .scontou-r. i-This vmalifes them1bulky-andawlrward tofcarry, for Ycontainers of .this contour -dognot :readily vlend @themselves to "fbeingstrapped lor attached tosome .iternof` equipiMost of fthe ,conventional .containers :are :not large fenongh :to carry the :,quantity .of stood ,desired -for fthe iabove-1nientioned vuse. Since y:it

`miler intended :that :the ,l conventional, 'oomniertial temere fbe subjected :to @rough usaea tit iis .Yanparent why they have .not proved .fsansfaetory iin oem-bat iiMany of fthe @conventional containers #are divided 'by partitions Ainto compartments. *Exfrio fperience @with containers -of `this type i has frevealetithat-the partitions -get bent and twisted #out Aof fshape. When this happens, -the i inserts Vwhich :are carried in these compartments Ano longer ft jproperly. lEither :they have to Lbe .-wedgedintojpostionorithey sit'tooloosely. *Both of f:these conditions "are undesirable, especially the latter'fbecause it causes "theT inserts: to rattle, gra condition :which is "gextrem'ely 1 undesirable in :combat :areas -:Where :theL men -must :move `.about rliseless'iy.

S'Alother :of the iconventional "'foo'd ncontainers is ithe :nested type. "This type rof *container* usually comprises "a main container having "a -plurality `of :nested "containers vertically disposed therein. This AVtype :of construction nhas proved inefficient Vand cumbersome y#because it '-is neces- ;fsaijyfto fremovefone 'ormore 4of the Acontainers to 'reach' thei bottom container in :themeste'd 'structure. This procedure is `not @only `tirne`consum jing andinconvenient, but: it' resultsLinra -consid- ;.erable loss of heat each time the lcontainers Vare removed. "Thusthe'foo'd will not stay hotas' long ,as` it woul'dlifthis ,operation Were'not'necessary.

LTo overcome the aboveemeritioned =disadvantages 'and to provide 'an insulated food con- .tainer Whichxwill be ,suitable Lfor use'v by members `ofthefarmed,'iorces in active;theaters of war, stherefore, lisither, primary :object of my invention. Referring *to vthe `accompanying vdrawings and #more particularly ito "Figure i1 thereof, the container 'off'rnyl invention .comprises a bodyy portion fll landj-a,plurality fo'f food receptar'xles 2 vertically disposed Ltherein 'in side-by-side relationship. "Theibodyportion fl *and the receptacles 2' aregprefvierablymade `of aluiriinum, yor some. similar 'durable"lightiweightymaterial.

Thebody I of the container Acompitisesan outer wall' and aniinnerwall 4, insulated `from each other by an `insulating kmaterial "'5, .such as ishreddedPlofoarn, Texolite, rock Wool .or the like. The inner 4Walls .4 dei-mean inner compart- :ment 5a adapted `for 'the positioning therein-'of 'thereceptades 2. ".The outer wall :Bland the in- 45 ner wall'll .are-:embossed substantially kas vshown vrat 4a..,in Figure .'l Ito `give added stiffness :and

strength to ",the `container, ithus enabling 'it Sto `withstand .rough usage 'Without losing .its shape.

.A l:pluralityof spacer Ibloks T6 ofcork or Asome wsimilar material may ,be disposed between the outer `.wall 3 fand .the inner wall .f4 dao insure z uni- ;fformzspaoing offthersaidzwalls'fromeach other.

Irre :insulating v'eiciency yof 'the .container fof any' inventionfis increasedsconsiderably :by wtn'e. use

"65 o'f an'outwardly dished `collar 'l of any suitable .cf receptacle 2.

4nected thereto through bail retainers non-conducting material, such as a plastic, circumferentially disposed between outer wall 3 and inner wall 4 to prevent metal-to-metal contact of the rim S of the outer wall 3 and the rim 9 of the inner wall 4. The rims 8 and 9 are bent back on themselves and joined to the collar 'I (Fig. 3) Collar I-and rims 8 and 9 form a circumferential channel, one ilange of which is higher than the other flange, for a purpose about to be explained.

The inner walls of the container are provided with projections 3| which circumscribe the entire inner compartment. The center portion of the bottom of the compartment 5a is raised subv stantially as shown at 33 in Figures 1 and 4. When the receptacles 2 are disposed in position in the compartment 5a, insulating air spaces 32 are provided which add to the thermal efficiency of the device. i

The receptacles 2 are disposed vertically within the body oi the container in side-by-side relationship. The dimensions of these receptacles 2 are such that when all of them are in position they fit snugly within the inner compartment 5a of the container. This prevents them from rattling in transit. Each of these receptacles 2, as is shown more particularly in Figures 2 and 3, has an inwardly and downwardly beveled rim 34 and is provided with an intertting cover I0 preferably having a horizontally and vertically disposed rim portion and which has a gasket II attached thereto to provide a tight seal; gasket i I preferably has an inclined outer surface to cooperate with beveled rim 34 of the body portion Each of the covers `Iii has a planar peripheral portion 35 and an annular raised portion I 2 and a handle comprising a pair cf lugs I3 projecting from theperipherythereof,

thus making it easy for an operator. wearing gloves or mittens to remove the cover. Each of the receptacles 2 is provided with a bail I4, con-V I5, by means of which the receptacles may be removed from the compartment 5a, of the container. Bail iii is so dimensioned that it does not project laterally beyond the walls of receptacle 2, and rests on the peripheral portion 35 of cover I0 when receptacle 2 is placed in the container.

The container is provided with a cover I5 which is insulated similarly to the body. The cover I6, as illustrated in Figures 1 and 3, contains a packing of an insulating material II, such as the material 5, inclosed by a cover liner I8. A plurality of spacer blocks I9 of cork may be disposed between the cover I6 and the cover liner I8 to insure uniform spacing of the cover from its liner. The cover is embossed as shown at Ita to reinforce and strengthen it. The cover liner |22 is reinforced by strips 2D disposed between the cover liner i 8 and the spaced blocks I9. An outwardly dished collar 2 I, of laminated plastic similar to the collar l on the body portion of the container is disposed between the rim 22 Y of the cover I5 and the sides of the cover liner IS for insulation purposes. A gasket 23 of sponge rubber or some similar material, is disposed between the collar 2I and the collar 'I to form a water-tight, airTtight seal between the cover and the body portion of the container. When. the cover is closed, a flange of collar 2| overlaps the higher of the flanges of the channel formed -by collar I and rims 8 and 9. -j'

Any suitable mechanism' may be employed to hinge the cover on the body of the container and lock it thereto when it is so desired. For example, draw bolts 24 may be used, two on each side retainer 26.

of the container. The draw bolt 24, as shown in Figures 1 and 4, has a clasp 25 which is attached to the cover I6 and a retainer 26 which is attached to the body portion I of the container. The clasp 25 and the retainer 2B are provided with ring-like portions in which a loop 21 is supported. A lever 28 ispivotally mounted in the Pressure exerted on the lever 28 pushes the lower portion of the loop 21 inwardly towards the body portion of the container and thereby effectively secures the cover to the body of the container and presses the cover liner I8 against raised portions I2 of receptacle covers IG, thereby forcing the latter into simultaneous sealing contact with the beveled rims 34 of receptacles 2 to prevent spillage of food contained in such receptacles.

Each end of the body portion I of the container has attached thereto a retainer 29 which supports a handle 3G by means of which the container may be moved from place to place.

What I claim is: y

1. A portable food container comprising a body portion having an inner and outer wall, said inner wall deiining a compartment open at one end and comprising side walls and a bottom, insulating material disposed between said inner and outer walls, and an outwardly dished collar crcumferentially disposed `between said walls, so as to form a channel; a plurality of food receptacles supported in upright position and in sidel-.by-,side `abutting relationship within said compartment, each of said foodreceptacles having a cover; and a closure onsaid compartment permitting individual insertion and removal of said food receptacles and adapted to cover the open end of said compartment, said closure being hingedly secured to said body portion, and, said Lclosure having an outside wall, a. liner spaced from said outside wall, .insulated material disposed between said outside wall and said liner, and an outwardly dished collar circumierentially disposed between the outside wall and the .liner of said closure so as to form a channel, each of said iirst-named and second-named channels having an inner and outer iiange and in at least one of said channels one of said flanges being .of greater height than the other of said flanges, said higher ange overlapping thecorresponding ange of the other channel when said closure is in compartment-closing position; the height of said food receptacles substantially corresponding to the distance between .the bottom of said compartment and the inner wall of said closure; a gasket positioned in one of said channels; and means for releasably fasteningA said closure onto said body portion; whereby upon closing of Asaid closure said gasket is compressed between said dished collars and the covers of said food receptacles are simultaneously pressed downwardly and spillage of food contained in said food receptaclesis prevented.

2. A portable food container comprising a body portion having an inner andan outer wall spaced from said inner wall, said inner wall defining a compartment open at one end and comprising sidewalls and a bottomf uiating ma 'aldisposed between said inner nd outer wa a plurality of food receptacles supported in vupright position and in side-by-sidel abutting relationship within said compartment, each or said food tion and a gasket having an inclined outer wall cooperating with the beveled rim of said body portion; and a closure on said compartment permitting individual insertion and removal of said food receptacles and adapted to cover the open end of said compartment, said closure being hingedly secured to said body portion, and said closure having an outside wall and a liner spaced from said outside wall; insulating material disposed between said outside wall and said liner; the height of said food receptacles including their covers substantially corresponding to the distance between the bottom of said compartment and the inner wall of said closure; and means for releasably fastening said closure onto said body portion; whereby the covers of said food receptacles are simultaneously pressed downwardly into sealing contact with said beveled rims of the body portions of said food rcceptacles and spillage of food contained in said food receptacles is prevented.

3. A portable food container comprising a body portion having an inner and outer wall, said inner wall defining a compartment open at one end and comprising side walls and a bottom, insulating material disposed between said inner and outer walls, and an outwardly dished collar circumferentially disposed between said walls, so as to form a channel; a plurality of iood receptacles supported in upright position and in sideby-side abutting relationship within said compartmcnt, each of said food receptacles having a body portion provided with an inwardly and downwardly beveled rim and a cover intertting therewith; and a closure on said compartment permitting individual insertion and removal of said food receptacles and adapted to cover the open end of said compartment, Said closure being hingedly secured to said body portion, and said closure having an outside wall, a liner spaced from said outside wall, insulating material disposed between said outside wall and said liner, and an outwardly dished collar circumferentially disposed between the outside wall and the liner of said closure so as to form a channel, each of said rst-named and second-named channels having an inner and outer ange and in at least one of said channels one of said flanges being of greater height than the other of said anges, said higher flange overlapping the corresponding flange of the other channel when said closure is in compartment-closing position; the height of said food receptacles substantially corresponding to the distance between the bottom of said compartment and the inner wall of said closure; a gasket positioned in one of said channels; and means for releasably fastening said closure onto said body portion; whereby upon closing of said closure said gasket is compressed between said dished collars and the covers of said food receptacles are simultaneously pressed downwardly into sealing contact with said beveled rims of the body portions of said food receptacles and spillage of food contained in said food receptacles is prevented.

4. A portable food container comprising a body portion having an inner and outer wall, said inner wall dening a compartmentopen at one end and comprising side walls and a bottom, insulating material disposed between said inner and outer walls, and an outwardly dished collar circumferentially disposed between said walls, so as to form a channel; a plurality of food receptacles supported in upright position and in sideby-side abutting relationship within said compartment, each of said food receptacles having a body portion provided with an inwardly and downwardly beveled rim and a cover having a horizontally and vertically disposed rim portion and a gasket having an inclined outer wall cooperating with the beveled rim of said body portion; and a closure on said compartment permitting individual insertion and removal of said food receptacles and adapted to cover the open end of said compartment, said closure being hngedly secured to said body portion, and said closure having an outside wall, a liner spaced from said outside wall, insulating material disposed between said outside wall and said liner, and an outwardly dished collar circumferentially disposed between the outside wall and the liner of said closure so as to form a channel, each of said first-named and second-named channels having an inner and outer ange and at least one of said channels having one flange of greater height than the other channel when said closure is in compartment-closing position; the height of said food receptacles substantially corresponding to the distance between the bottom of said compartment and the inner wall of said closure; a gasket positioned in one of said channels; and means for releasably fastening said closure onto said body portion; whereby upon closing of said closure said gasket is compressed between said dished collars and the covers of said food receptacles are simultaneously pressed downwardly into sealing contact with said beveled rims of the body portions of said food receptacles and spillage of food contained in said food receptacles is prevented.

FREDERICK F. PFEFFERKORN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 665,349 Sewall Jan. l, 1901 998,490 Fitch July 18, 1911 1,016,346 Markee Feb. 6, 1912 1,244,866 Kutscher Oct. V30, 1917 1,896,393 Devine Feb. 7, 1933 2,097,186 Hinnenkarnp Oct. 26, 1937 2,147,886 Devine Feb. 21, 1939 2,256,935 Austin Sept. 23, 1941 2,299,053 Ferris Oct. 13, 1942 2,385,146 MacDonald Sept. 18, 1945 2,415,767 Shaw Feb. 11, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 814,552 France Mar. 22, 1937 

